5~30% CPU speed reduction to your Intel CPU forecast

Good job that you do not use Bitdefender then as apparently they have not yet updated their AV! link

edit – reading the small print unless a reg key is set the update will not be offered. So if you use MacCrappy or the like you will not get an update.

Boris wrote:

One of mine runs BitDefender Free A/V and it installed KB4056892 with no problems.

That suggests that the update interferes with the A/V rather than the other way around, though other reports suggest that currently M$ are only slowing down server installations.

PcWorld have produced a very readable guide to Intel’s Meltdown Backdoor, while M$ have issued a PowerScript check for vulnerabilities. I have not linked the latter as unless you know what you are doing PowerScript can be a bit like handing a box of matches to a kiddy. In any case the M$ script is not much use, unless you have installed the Intel firmware update it will only show the Windows Slowdown status. Getting the firmware update is going to be a problem unless Intel break their usual policy and issue it via M$. The advice apparently is that your vendor should supply it – good luck with that!

I have bookmarked my link to the appropriate Intel i7 update release page for my own system and await this week’s developments.

[edit] Dave was correct my system has not slowed down but the power management on the chip shows a clock-rate speedup – this will cost me money!

Sorry about the link screw-up it should have pointed to this Verge article.

Intel Haswell ot older chips are the ones affected most by a slow-down.

Yep – looks like my workstation PC replacement will get accelerated a bit down to five years rather than seven, but luckily the vm bugs in AMD Ryzen now look like they are now sorted. ?

Probably mean me choosing a full AMD board and peripherals –  the first time in over 20 years!

Unfortunately PM I think the Linux fixes will have a similar impact on old hardware. But if anyone knows better . . .